


All Work & No Play Makes Alec No Fun At All

by Echele78



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Family, Halloween, Husbands, Kid Fic, M/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27701123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echele78/pseuds/Echele78
Summary: Rafael and Max really want to go trick or treating but they know they're Dad hates Halloween. Maybe with the help of their Papa, they can talk their Dad into it.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49
Collections: SHBingo 20-21





	All Work & No Play Makes Alec No Fun At All

**Author's Note:**

> For my SH Bingo square "Halloween Fic"...just in time for Thanksgiving. LOL

Alec has hated Halloween as long as he can remember. It means more work for the Shadowhunters. Demon activity is at its highest of the year and added on top of that is the mundanes, all dressing up and acting like fools. It starts at midnight on October 31st and doesn’t end until midnight on November 2nd. It’s 48 hours of hell, so who can blame Alec for his opinion? 

His husband, that’s who.

“Oh, come on Alexander. The boys will be so disappointed if you don’t go trick or treating with us.” Magnus looks at his husband with sad puppy dog eyes and pouts.

“That’s not going to work. I’m immune to your sad-face-to-get-what-you-want look.”

“Well, that may be,” Magnus challenges and wags his eyebrows as he says, “but are you immune to it when it comes from Rafael and Max?”

“Yes,” Alec replies automatically. He doesn’t really believe it when he says it but he _really_ doesn’t want to “do” Halloween. He’s tired and overwhelmed just thinking about it.

Magnus calls for the kids. “Max, Rafael, come in here please.”

Alec mumbles under his breath and shakes his head at Magnus as the boys’ running footsteps get closer and closer to the living room, “Oh you son of a-” 

He cuts himself off and greets his sons with a huge smile when they enter the room. “Hi boys!”

“Hi Daddy!” they both chorus back to him.

“Max, Raf, didn’t you have something you wanted to ask your Daddy?” Magnus questions them.

They both look at each other, a silent conversation of “You ask him. No you ask him,” clearly going on between them. Evidently Rafael wins (or loses depending on how he feels about it) so he clears his throat, straightens up to his full height, puts his shoulders back and begins, “We would like to go trick or treating and want you and Papa to take us. Please.”

Alec sets his resolve then explains, “I don’t think so boys. You know how busy Halloween is for Shadowhunters. Raf, you’ll learn that Halloween isn’t all fun & games and dress-up. It’s work… A LOT of work. I need to be available for any issues that might...that will, happen. I’m sorry.”

“But can’t Uncle Jace and Aunt Izzy take care of it for just this one night?” Rafael asks.

“I can’t ask them to do that. When you’re a leader, you can’t push your duties off onto someone else.”

Rafael pouts and Max’s eyes fill with tears. Magnus looks at Alec and mouths the words, “Look at them. How could you?”

Alec can feel his determination slipping away. He takes a deep breath then asks, “Say we were going to go trick or treating, it starts in less than an hour. Nobody has costumes, we don’t have any candy to give out, there’s not enough time to get ready.”

Rafael sighs a huge sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose. “For real, Dad? That’s your argument?”

Alec is a bit taken aback by Rafael’s tone. “Yes it is.” Alec crosses his arms and addresses his oldest child. “Do you not think those are problems?”

“Not when one of my dad’s and my brother could just snap their fingers and fix it all,” Rafael laughs. He can’t believe his Dad has forgotten that very simple solution.

Magnus and Max look at each other and giggle. “He does have a point,” Magnus tells Alec.

Alec sighs. He knows he’s lost this debate. “Fine.”

Rafael and Max look to their father with wide-eyed, excited expressions. “Fine, like, fine we can go and you’ll take us?” Rafael asks.

“Yes, fine.”

Alec is almost tackled to the ground when the boys rush him and surround him in enthusiastic hugs and laughs. “Okay, okay. The only condition is, I have to stay close by in case Jace or Izzy call.”

“I’ve been thinking about that and I think I have a solution,” Magnus says.

“Oh yeah? What’s the solution?”

“All of the tenets in our building decided a few months ago to do a building-wide trick or treat. We can trick or treat here and when we’re done, we’ll call all our friends and invite them over for a quick, simple Halloween get together. They can stop by whenever they get a chance...or they don’t have to. It’ll be really informal. To save even more time, I figure we can all just drop our glamours and our normal selves can be our ‘costumes’. What do you think?”

The boys jump up and down and cheer in agreement as they chant, “Yes, yes, yes! Come on Daddy, it’ll be fun. Plllleeeeeeaasssse?”

Alec gives in. “Alright, let’s do it. I’ll call Izzy.”

Magnus grins. “Already done. They’ll be around some time tonight. She’s already spread the word to everyone else.”

Alec looks at his husband and sons with a disheartened look and frown on his face. “You already had this all planned out? Am I that predictable?”

Magnus pulls him into a hug and gives him a quick peck on the cheek. “Don’t be sad. You’re only predictable when it comes to the kids. Any other time, you're fiercely determined to have no fun at all.” Magnus laughs as he pulls away.

“Hey! That’s not true.” Alec sulks.

“I’m just kidding,” Magnus winks at him. “You’re all kinds of fun and we all love you for it. Right boys?”

“Right, Papa!” the boys respond in unison.

“Alright everybody,” Magnus announces. “Glamours down in 3…” Alec and Rafeal grin at each other as they each take out their stele. “2…” Max is bouncing from foot to foot with glee as he clenches his fist in front of him and smiles as he shakes all over with joy. “...1!”

In a second Alec and Rafael’s runes are all on display, as well as Magnus’s cat eyes and Max’s horns and blue skin. Alec looks around the room at the family he’s so proud of. It makes him emotional if he thinks about them too long so he clears his throat and says, “Okay, who’s ready for Trick or Treat?!?”

The boys both yell “Me!” as they race to the front door.

There’s a flash of magic from Max and empty candy buckets appear in each of their hands. He looks back to his Dad’s and shrugs his shoulders as they grin at him and shake their heads. 

Alec and Magnus hold hands as they follow the boys out of the loft and laugh/yell at them to “Slow down! Wait for us!” as the boys wait for them at the elevator. 

They make it through the entire building and get a ton of candy and a slew of compliments on their “very original and almost lifelike” costumes. 

The somewhat impromptu Halloween party even goes off without a hitch and all of their friends and family got to stop by even if it was only for a few minutes. There were no major demon-related issues that Alec was called away to deal with so the night was a success.

After the kids are in bed and everyone has gone home, Magnus is sitting on the couch with a book, relaxing a bit before going to bed. He looks up when Alec enters the room, a three-ring binder in his hands. Alec sits beside Magnus and opens his binder. Magnus looks at him in confusion and asks, “What’s this for?”

Alec looks at him with a sparkle in his eyes and a sideways grin and says, “So...I was thinking for next year we could…”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. Please do all you can to stay safe out there. <3


End file.
